Political editor, The Age

Tony Abbott might have thought it a low-risk encounter: introducing himself to a group of secondary students at a morning tea in a Liberal-held seat in Melbourne's east, and inviting them to raise any concerns. He didn't bank on Maddie Veares.

The 18-year-old captain of Croydon's Melba College had spent much of the previous night preparing for the possibility of meeting the Prime Minister, jotting down the questions she wanted answered.

The early response on terrorism is positive, despite Abbott's resort to Team Australia sloganeering.

The first concerned the deregulation of university fees flagged in the May budget. "I wanted to ask him why he was creating a tertiary system that would force students like myself, my siblings, my fellow students into extreme debt," she explained to me.

Veares wants to study psychology at Deakin University next year, with the ambition of ultimately teaching mental and sexual health in Third World countries. But she says the prospect of being weighed down by university debt might yet deter her.

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"I also wanted some answers about why he believed he had the capabilities to be minister for women's affairs, considering his view that men and woman have different abilities and interests and aptitudes," she said, "and why there is only one female member of his cabinet."

And the third question? "I wanted to know why most of the budget was being funded by the poorest 20 per cent of the country," said Veares, who has been living independently from her separated parents for more than two years, and knows more than most Australians about adversity.

Veares made such an impression on Abbott during their brief encounter that he mentioned her in his unscripted address. "As many of you would know, this government is coming up for its first anniversary," the PM told his audience. "I don't pretend for a second that it's all been smooth sailing and I don't pretend for a second that every single thing that the government has done would be greeted by applause, even from people in this room.

"I've just been talking to some of the students of Melba College, and I said to one of the captains, Maddison, 'Have you got any issues that you want to raise with me as your Prime Minister?' And her response was, 'Where do I start'?"

Veares didn't get to ask her questions because Abbott had his speech to deliver and more flesh to press at the function, so an opportunity to address the most fundamental critique of his first budget, exactly 100 days after Joe Hockey brought it down, was lost.

The PM touched on the fairness issue in the abstract in his remarks, saying a lot of people had asked him questions about the fairness of the budget. "Well, I want to say that the most unfair thing that any government can do for you, the people of Australia, is saddle you with an ever-increasing debt burden."

It didn't persuade Veares, who left the morning tea a little chuffed to have met the Prime Minister, but feeling short-changed. I suspect she would have been similarly unsatisfied by a more formal address delivered by Finance Minister Mathias Cormann to the Sydney Institute on Tuesday.

Cormann's aim was to put the budget debate back on track after Joe Hockey's disastrous declarations about the impact of higher fuel excise on the poor. The Finance Minister offered a fiscal "reality check", but dealt with the question of fairness as fleetingly as Abbott did in Ringwood two days later.

"Labor and others argue that our budget is unfair. That is nonsense," Cormann asserted. "What is unfair is to promise what you cannot deliver." What is even more unfair, as far as Veares sees it, is imposing measures that hurt the vulnerable, in clear breach of pre-election undertakings.

If the aim was to give new direction and substance to the debate, and incentive for the Senate crossbenchers to bend on a host of measures they have vowed to oppose, then the exercise failed miserably, along with the follow-up interviews.

The result is that Parliament resumes from its five-week winter break next week with the Coalition under pressure and in a weak bargaining position when it comes to negotiating with the emboldened Senate crossbench and its new populist force, the Palmer United Party.

Hockey, the Coalition's pre-eminent pre-budget performer, has so far been singularly unsuccessful in selling his budget or persuading the crossbenchers. His fall can be traced to the footage of him puffing on cigars with Cormann during a break from budget preparations: pictures that became a metaphor for a Treasurer (and a government) out of touch. He is not alone when it comes to underperforming ministers.

Abbott, Hockey and Cormann can win the debate about the need for fiscal repair, even if voters don't accept their overblown budget emergency rhetoric, but they won't win the argument on fairness without a much better explanation and some concessions – and that won't happen in a hurry.

Their recovery prospects may hinge on the evolving bigger picture: how Abbott responds to the threat of home-grown, ISIL-inspired terrorism; Labor's capacity to adhere to its small-target strategy; and who Clive Palmer offends next.

The early response on terrorism is positive, despite Abbott's resort to Team Australia sloganeering. The Prime Minister's Sir John Downer Oration on Thursday included perhaps the most comprehensive endorsement of Australian multiculturalism by any Liberal leader since Malcolm Fraser. The message was unequivocal and inclusive: "Extremism is the enemy; not Islam," Abbott declared. "Terrorism is being targeted; not the members of any religion."

One potential distraction for Labor is the plethora of memoirs and explosive accounts of its six years in office (set to peak with Julia Gillard's book, My Story, late next month). Another is that the woman who made sexual assault accusations against Bill Shorten dating back to 1986 will not accept the official verdict that he has no case to answer.

For Abbott, the leader who brought us Operation Sovereign Borders, Operation Bring Them Home and Operation Budget Repair, the imperative is to stop governing by slogan and remind himself every single day that he still needs to win the confidence and trust of voters. If he needs assistance, I can pass on Maddie Veares's mobile number.

Michael Gordon is political editor of The Age.

132 comments so far

Ok, it is clear, the primer minister cannot trick even high school students, and what is worst, he didn't give them the opportunity to express themselves. Totally out of reality. Australia has become the Joke Team, I want a return ticked to my country ASAP.

Commenter

Mariot

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 1:32AM

Abbott says that it's not Islam that's the enemy it's the extremists.Domestically most Australians would say it's not conservatives who are our enemy it's the extremists.And we are under attack from them right here and now.But it seems we must rely on our own resources to defend ourselves from our home grown ideological zealots.

Commenter

rext

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 7:57AM

MariotWhile I agree with your sentiments I'm not sure it was the wisest thing to say you would like a ticket home asap. All that does is to invite every conservative Froot Loop who reads it to accuse you of only being interested in Australia for what you can get out of it.However there are millions of us like you who don't want to live in Abbott's Australia but let's not leave. Let's take it back from him at the earliest opportunity.

Commenter

fred

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 8:09AM

It can be summed up simply by saying that -

conservative government's always take from the needy and give to the greedy !

This is what's happening yet again under Abbott and Hockey.

Conservatives always govern for the well-off and the rest have to pay the price,

This will NEVER CHANGE.

Commenter

Get Real

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 8:13AM

It is abundantly clear that Mr Abbott will have a problem convincing young people that his budget is fair. It is plain ridiculousness to think otherwise. Furthermore, he will be a fool to think the young will vote for him at the next election when they can see the wealthy continues to enjoy massive tax breaks at the expense of the poor and the struggling. How do the unemployed under thirty survive for six months without some income? Get real Abbott.

Commenter

Melbourne Tom

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 8:18AM

Well done Maddie.Your questions were spot on. And Abbott didn't even let you ask them. That sums him up.Well, you can take some comfort from the fact that many, many others share your concerns.Fairfax ran a straw poll yesterday - 'do you want a double dissolution now?' 20,000 responses - 96% (!) want an election now. 96%.

Commenter

election now

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 8:39AM

Hurt the poor? When the Carbon Tax was introduced, the Working Poor were compensated by raising the Tax Free Threashold. On its removal, that tax free threshold remains untouched. Welfare spending in 2007 was about $80 Billion a year, now its over $150B or was 42% of Govt Revenue, now 47%. This is why we have an "Age of Entitlement". Persons on disability pensions with public housing is financially far better off than than those who work for minimum awards. Is that fair? Many commenters here don't seem to care about leaving a large govenment debt to our children. Borrow for today and get them to pay. A high school student is far more easily duped by the anti-budget campain than reserve bank employees.

Commenter

Kingstondude

Location

Malaysia atm

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 8:59AM

Double Dissolution Now. This is whatvAustralians want.

Commenter

Now

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 9:23AM

What's interesting is he asks Maddie for questions then does a rapid Uturn.Why bother appearing to seem interested? There's another vote gone.Perhaps the ear piece had spoken.

Commenter

A country gal

Date and time

August 23, 2014, 9:36AM

leaving large government debt to our children.. as you can see a school child cant be duped. 96% of fairfax readers have said they want tony to live up to his promise of calling a double dissolution. I dont think you could get a 96% favorable response even if you asked readers whether the world is flat. the whole argument is like the so called 'argument' on global warming. the vast majority of ppl know this government is the worst in history and we have a couple remaining liberal trolls saying it isnt. who do you believe?